Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:46 pm on 11 October 2022.
Good afternoon, Deputy Minister. I do welcome the statement, and also the work that I know you have done and the commitment you have to this particular area of work.
Just two things from me, if I may. Firstly, the situation with CAMHS was bad before COVID, significantly bad. It was worsened, yes, but now we still have 60 per cent of young people having their first appointment within four weeks. That still isn't good enough, and I just hope that there will still be a light shone on this particular area of work, because I know we all know the devastation that mental health issues in young people will bring. I'm not sure I totally agree with your analysis that they don't need the mental health support, that they need other support; I'd like to see the data and the information on that.
The second point, if I may make it, is that we believe in parity: mental health and physical health. I'm delighted to see the tier 1 services, 97,000 people included in that, but there is an issue still about crisis care, and we would like to see a 24/7 crisis care service in mental health. I wondered if you would meet with me just to talk that through, because it's not just simply about health services; it's about a range of services. Thank you very much. Diolch yn fawr iawn.